Let's Party!

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Luke 15 (click the link)


KEY VERSE:
So the party began. (Luke 15:24, NLT)


REFLECTIONS:
Dancing! In each of the three parables in Luke 15, they each end in celebration. Jesus said throughout His ministry that He had come to declare that the kingdom of God was at hand. Now we obviously see the kingdom lived out through Jesus, but I truly believe that He reveals a foundational principle of the kingdom here: dancing (or just joy, for those who wish not to show their uncoordination)! As Jesus says in the parables, the moment someone is welcomed into the kingdom (back into life), the party begins. Even the older brother heard the dancing on his way home (verse 25). I love it! 

Something I found just awesome is that Jesus makes mention of the repentance speech that the son had prepared for his father. He had it all planned out. Have you ever done that, with an apology or otherwise? What I love so much about this is that when the son finally gets the opportunity to recite his speech, the father doesn’t even take the time to acknowledge it in word! It’s as if the father is thinking, “I’m way ahead of you! I saw your heart when you crested that hill! I already know! That’s why I came running! AHHHHHH, let’s party!” I think I sometimes find myself lingering in repentance for far too long. He already knows! He’s so joyfully ready for us to enjoy resurrection life together!

These parables remind me of something that happened last summer. I was in a prayer and worship time with the school I was attending, and for some strange reason, someone got up and gave a good ole altar call right in the middle of the prayer meeting. I was so perplexed! But as a surprise to both myself and the man giving the call, there were a group of Korean teenage girls that had wandered into the gathering. They gave their hearts to Jesus right there on the spot! Eight of them, if I remember correctly. I immediately had a vision of a sort of holy Mardi Gras, complete with float and all. The girls that had gotten saved were riding on the float, and us all as a class were dancing in the parade. We were leading up to the gates of Heaven. What happened next is my absolute favorite. Jesus came running and dancing and twirling out of the gates and came to the float, to usher us in with joy and dancing! He was already dancing when He came from the gates. He came from dancing, and He brings us into it!


POINT OF ACTION:
If you’ve read any of my mom’s devotionals, you probably know that she almost always posts a link to a song. I’m following suit. This is one of my favorite songs (it starts about 2:45 through the video). So here’s your homework: enjoy. Dance if you like. Like raising your hands in worship, it’s going to feel weird until you actually start to dance. But once you do, there is so much freedom! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FOHkbrVi20


PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for dancing and inviting us into it! In Your presence, O God, there is fullness of JOY! Thank you for dancing over us and accepting us at the first look.


WHO AM I?
My name is Jordan Bland. I recently got to spend a weekend dancing in worship with the high schoolers from our church at a conference in Kansas City. To say the least, it was epic. Here’s me at the last Daddy-Daughter Dance I served at. I might have snuck a dance or two…